Resources for the Sexual Abuse Crisis

It's a difficult time for Catholics.

First there was the news that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, had sexually abused a minor, and that his history of sexually harassing seminarians was an ‘open secret’ that did not prevent him from rising through the ranks of the Church hierarchy. Then came the release of a Pennsylvania Grand Jury report that detailed the sexual abuse of nearly 1,000 victims by more than 300 priests from five dioceses in Pennsylvania. Most recently, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano released a testimony in which he names many Church officials, including Pope Francis, who allegedly covered up Archbishop McCarrick’s history of sexual abuse and allowed him to continue his public ministry.

As scandal after scandal has come out, we understand that it can be difficult for the Catholic faithful to process. So, we have compiled a list of stories, podcasts and resources that discuss this crisis in many different ways. It is our hope that we all, as a community of faith, can allow the Lord to root out the evil in His Church and bring justice and healing to all who are affected.

Fr. Mike Schmitz, of Ascension Presents has a great video where he discusses not only his visceral reactions to what happened, but how he is dealing with it and how we can all use this crisis as an impetus to become the saints God is calling us to be.